To be or not to be . That is the question , says Hamlet , as he wonders whether or not it's better to be alive or dead . Shakespeare's most performed play makes us think about this and other big philosophical questions . Hi everyone , and welcome back to Look and Listen English lesson .
Today we meet again in another literature lesson and this time Shakespeare's maybe most famous play , hamlet . Alright , so first let's get to know the characters and after that I go through the plot with you . Plus , there is a short activity waiting for you at the end of this video . So I'm excited . Let's get started .
Hamlet , the Prince of Denmark , is the main character , about 30 years old , the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet and the nephew of the present King Claudius . Hamlet is melancholy , bitter and cynical .
Claudius , the King of Denmark , hamlet's uncle and the play's antagonist , the villain of the play , claudius is a calculating , ambitious politician driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power . But he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feelings . His love for Gertrude , for instance , seems sincere . Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark .
Hamlet's mother recently married Claudius Polonius , the Lord Chamberlain of Claudius' court , a pompous , conniving old man . Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia Horatio , hamlet's close friend who studied with the Prince at the University . Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play . After Hamlet's death , horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's story .
Ophelia , polonius's daughter , a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love . Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl . Even in her lapse into madness and death , she remains maidenly singing songs about flowers and finally , drowning in the river .
Laertes , polonius' son and Ophelia's brother , a young man who spends much of the play in France , passionate and quick to action of the play in France . Passionate and quick to action . The Ghost , the spirit of Hamlet's recently deceased father . The ghost , who claims to have been murdered by Claudius's , calls upon Hamlet to revenge .
Fortybrus , the young prince of Norway , whose father , the king also named Fortimbras , was killed by Hamlet's father , also named Hamlet . Now Fortimbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father's honour , making him another foil for Prince Hamlet . Foil for Prince Hamlet . Rosencrantz and Guildenstern , two slightly bumbling courtiers , former friends of Hamlet .
Austric , the foolish courtier Volenton and Cornelius they are both courtiers , marcellus and Bernardo , the officers who first see the ghost walking . Hamlet , the prince of Denmark , has come back from university to find that his father , the old king , is dead . His mother married his father's brother , clodius , who is now the king of Denmark .
Hamlet is shocked and disgusts that his mother has married so soon after his father's death and so so angry , not to mention full of hate . So so angry , not to mention full of hate , that she has married Claudius , his own uncle . Soon , a ghost is seen walking on the castle walls . The ghost looks like Hamlet's father , the dead king .
When Hamlet sees the ghost , he is told that it is the ghost of his father , the king . I am your father's spirit , the ghost tells Hamlet . The ghost tells him that he did not die naturally but was murdered by his own brother , claudius . Claudius put poison into his ear , causing him a painful , tragic death .
The ghost tells Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius for murdering him . Hamlet can't believe that his mother would marry the man who murdered her husband . So he becomes so depressed and thinks about killing himself . To be or not to be , that is the question .
Hamlet wonders , starts to pretend that he is mad while he tries to find out if the king Claudius really did kill his father . Claudius soon notices that Hamlet is behaving strangely , so he asks Claudius advisor to spy on him . Polonius thinks that the best person to find out what is causing Hamlet's strange mood is Polonius's own daughter , ophelia .
This is because Ophelia is Hamlet's girlfriend and so she is close to him . But when Ophelia tries talking to him is close to him . But when Ophelia tries talking to him , hamlet gets very angry , tells her that he never loved her and breaks up with her . Ophelia is very upset by this . A group of travelling actors arrives in town .
Hamlet gets them to perform a play at the castle . Now , hamlet's play contains a scene in which someone murders a king by putting poison in his ear Exactly what the ghost said that happened to him . Hamlet's plan is to watch the King Claudius doing the play and see how he reacts when he sees his own crime performed on stage . Then Hamlet's plan works .
King Claudius becomes so angry that he interrupts the play and goes off in a rage . Claudius starts thinking of ways to get rid of Hamlet . Soon afterwards , hamlet sees Claudius praying and wants to kill him , but he worries that if he does , claudius will go to heaven instead of going to hell , which , as a murderer , he deserves .
So Hamlet does nothing and goes to speak to his own mother . While they are talking in his mother's room , he sees someone moving behind the curtains , hamlet thinks that it must be Clodius . So he takes his sword and stabs through the curtain . But he is shocked to find that he has in fact killed Polonius the advisor , not Clodius .
This of course means that Hamlet has killed the father of his own girlfriend , beloved Ophelia . Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself in the river . Ophelia's brother , laertes , comes to her funeral and is furious about what was happening . He and Hamlet argue about who loved Ophelia most , and King Claudius now sees an opportunity to finally get rid of Hamlet .
Sees an opportunity to finally get rid of Hamlet . He organizes a sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes To make sure that Hamlet is killed . Claudius gives Laertes a sword covered with a poison .
He also prepares a cup of poison wine , but Claudius' plans go horribly wrong when the poison sword wounds both Hamlet and the artist , and Hamlet's mother drinks from the poison's cup . Knowing that he is about to die himself , hamlet kills Claudius , finally getting revenge for the murder of his father .
At the end of the play , all the royal household of Denmark are dead . Well , that's about it . But before you go , check on your understanding and try to answer this question , read aloud Hamlet's famous speech oh , that these two , two solid flesh , would melt . Now you try to trace Hamlet's mood and the way in which it changes during the speech .
What is the reason for Hamlet's distress ? Let me know in the comments below . That's it . Till next time , bye-bye .